AU076 Finding Mr Lockhart
by Ikuni Hattori
Summary: Cloud and Aerith are too slow in getting to Don Corneo's mansion to help Tifa, so she's on her own. But when certain circumstances reveal that Tifa is married, she's determined to find out to whom she has chained herself to.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01:

It was peaceful around them as he sat with Aerith atop the slide at the playground. For a moment, Cloud could feel all of the strain of being in Midgar again fall away, his body relaxing. There were no stars to look at, not with the upper plate above them and the air pollution choking the skies. Cloud was pretty sure there was a Mako leak nearby, the corrupted smell of sulfur tainting the air. Aerith and he didn't need to talk. It was a companionable silence, and the blond wrapped his arm around the brunette. When she rested her head on his shoulder, both were at peace.

The noise of a gate opening behind them caught Cloud's attention, and they both stood to get a better look at the chocobo drawn carriage. Admiring the deep red wood paneling on the carriage itself, his eyes were drawn to the familiar looking dark haired woman in the back of the vehicle.

"She's beautiful," Aerith murmured at his side. It was then that Cloud realized _why_ the woman looked familiar.

"Tifa?!"

* * *

Truth be told, Tifa was scared: determined to complete her mission, but scared nonetheless. At the moment as Don Corneo's carriage bore her from the belly of Sector 7, the bartender half-wished she had takenJessie's offer to have her on this mission with her. Just a friendly face would help calm her.

Seeing Cloud fall after they defeated President Shinra's Airbuster rocked Tifa's nerves. He had told them to be strong and not to worry, he would be back. But once the first 24 hours had gone by, Barret had decided that AVALANCHE's next plan needed to go forward. They needed information, about Shinra and what they were planning next, and they needed it _now_. And with news of a Shinra lapdog being only one sector away, Barret couldn't pass on this opportunity.

Tifa had been the obvious choice. This wasn't her first seduction mission, and it probably wouldn't be her last.

Fingering the blue silk dress that had pulled her out of many sticky situations, Tifa's eyes glazed over as she tried to think of something else to distract herself. Cloud's spiky blond head appeared in her mind and a small smile appeared on her face. Cloud's face morphed into another face, familiar to her, but unknown. Her entire body flushed with heat, and it startled her out of her daydream at how strong her reaction was. A moment later, the carriage came to a stop as it waited for the gate between Sector 7 and 6 to open up to allow their passage. Straightening her posture as the gate guards leered at her, Tifa's knuckles went white as she gripped the handrails. She barely moved when the carriage jolted into motion once more.

Through the now closing gate, the chocobo drawn carriage turned to head towards the Sector 6 Wall Market, a jumble of shops and establishments lining the wall separating the slums from the upper plate. The whiteness of a large object on her left caught Tifa's attention, and she turned to inspect it. Bright blond hair caught her attention, and she realized that Cloud sat on top of the playground slide with a pretty brunette. A bitter taste filled her mouth as a chill swept away the heat from earlier. The carriage moved on as she heard her name being called, but Tifa trained her eyes on the railing her hands gripped tightly until Cloud and the brunette were out of sight, shame burning at her breast. Steeling her resolve, Tifa headed inside the carriage and took a seat, grabbing herself a drink to help calm herself.

The noise outside the carriage increased as they traveled through the Wall Market. All too soon, the motion of movement stopped, and the carriage door opened. Slamming the rest of her drink, Tifa accepted the hand held out to help her down the steps. She noticed she had been received right on the edge of the mansion steps, so she didn't need to dirty her shoes with the grime from the streets. With a hand on her elbow, she was led into the impressive mansion of her target.

Inside was gaudy. It was filled with gold plated everything, and red painted hardwood. Repressing her shudder, Tifa plastered a smile on her face, as if she enjoyed being there.

"The Don is in a meetin' right now, Sweetcheeks, but he'll be done soon. If ya follow me, I'll show ya around," a nameless man wearing shades said to her. Sunglasses or not, she could feel his eyes raking over her figure, and it made her feel disgusting.

"Alright," she replied, trying to sound happy, and gullible. The tour itself was brief. Besides the public access lobby and staircase, Tifa was shown the lounge room, which was mercifully empty, before briefly mentioning Don Corneo's office as they passed it by. The man, who still hadn't given his name, led her to the last doorway on the second floor, which led to a long set of stairs.

"Watch your step" was her only warning before Tifa was led down into the depths of what looked like a literal sex dungeon. "Make yourself comfortable," the man then sneered. "Someone will collect you soon." He then went back up the stairs, and Tifa was, miraculously, left alone.

* * *

A/N: So, the first chapter of a new story of mine! :D This was my attempt at NaNoWriMo this year, and although I haven't finished it (or reached my word goal), I most definitely have a good chunk of the story completed. With finals this week and Christmas in the next few, I have some free time in order to regularly update this. And by regularly update, I mean probably once or twice a week. While I have other things to do, like working on a D&D campaign, catching up on my crochet commissions, and making videos for my YouTube channel, I do want to spend more time here on FFNet. If I can, I'll try to do more writing streams on Twitch, too.

Anyway, a little explanation of this story:

As it's set in an alternate universe, this will follow along the lines of the story for FFVII, however one deviation makes everything else spiral out of control. Since this takes place in a dimension that has my OCs in it, those will be playing a somewhat prominent part in this story.

And for now, Tifa's husband shall remain anonymous. . .at least until he is revealed through the plot :3

Last of all, please don't forget to fav, follow, and review! All three mean so much to me, and it's great getting feedback about a story that I feel affection for.

Until next time, my Lovelies! *smooches*


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

* * *

Cloud stood impatiently as Aerith sweet talked the dressmaker into creating a dress for him. Reminding himself that this was all for Tifa, he was basically going undercover, for her. A few minutes later saw Aerith coming back with a sweet smile on her face.

"He said the dress will take a few hours or so, so he suggested we head to the gym. They have wigs there!" She skipped away, leaving behind a confused blond.

Why would a gym have wigs?

Following after her, Cloud succeeded in doing enough squats to win the best wig Big Bro had. It looked so real, and he was pleased this item was acquired so easily. From there, they went to the dressmaker's shop to see how the dress was coming along. It wasn't done yet, but the dressmaker suggested they go and find other things to "make his transformation complete." Aerith seemed to know what he was talking about, and dragged him all over the Wall Market. They ate a meal and got a coupon, she picked out lingerie, and their final stop saw them at an item shop.

The proprietor seemed lazy and bored, and Cloud was tasked with the job of checking out the Inn's vending machine items. Getting a room to gain access to the vending machine, Aerith sat on her side of the bed, sighing at how soft it was. She laid down and Cloud laid down next to her, to test the bed himself.

As the stresses of the day settled upon them, both were asleep within minutes.

Hours later, Cloud awoke in horror to find it nighttime. Launching himself off of the bed, he laced up his boots in a hurry, leaving Aerith to continue sleeping on the bed. Stopping by the vending machine and throwing in 50 Gil, he grabbed the item and rushed over to the item shop only to find, expectantly, it closed. Slinking back to the Inn, Cloud retired to his room to wait out the night.

* * *

Only a few hours had passed before Tifa was summoned to the Don's office. It was just her and the man who had escorted her here, and she still didn't know his name. They stood in silence for a few minutes, Tifa shifting from one foot to the other. She first noticed the shift in the air pressure in the room before the sound of a door opening resonated around her. A portly blond man strode from behind the gaudy folding screen set up behind his desk and paused, taking time to look Tifa up and down.

"Why hello, my pretty," purred the voice of her current mission, sending shivers of disgust down her spine. Forcing an innocent smile onto her face, Tifa batted her eyelashes at the man who was old enough to be her father. "Is it only you today?" Don Corneo asked, feigning disappointment all the while his gaze kept bouncing between her bust and her bottom. Without letting her get a word in edgewise, he continued, "What a disappointment. I enjoy the anticipation when there are three of you." The larger man moved to stand behind his desk, his hands clasped behind his back. Pursing his lips in thought, he turned to look at Tifa, their eyes locking, and for a moment, Tifa felt a surge of fear rush through her. "I guess you will do." With the snap of his fingers, the Don turned his head away just as his unnamed henchman moved forward to grab Tifa by the arm. Ripping her arm out of the man's grasp, Tifa confronted her mission.

"Do not let him manhandle me," she demanded. Don Corneo turned back and raised an eyebrow at her. "I am not goods to be done with as he pleases-"

"Oh, but darling, he was only trying to escort your into your new bedroom," the Don tried to sweet talk. Tifa schooled her expression into one of concern, and then apology, trying to look sincere as she did so.

"Oh, I am so sorry! I'm just so used to the big bad scary men taking advantage of me that I just can't help myself when it happens." Tifa's mouth was open to say more, and lay more compliments on thickly when a knocking came at the door to the office.

"What is it?" the Don asked as he looked past Tifa at the door, the brunette following his gaze just in time to have the door open up to reveal a black haired woman in full Soldier First Class gear, her whip coiled tightly at her hip. The Lieutenant General strode into the room and stopped in front of Corneo's desk. "Ah, Lieutenant General! What brings you to my _humble_ abode?" he asked, his eyes darting over to Tifa before he plastered a smile on his face, facing the Soldier 1st Class once more.

"I have been sent by President Shinra to take care of any threats upon your person. Apparently there were a few things unsaid at the last meeting. Until negotiations are complete, I am to ensure your safety and negate any attempts at assassination," the older woman stated, standing at attention, her hands clasped behind her back.

"Is this all really necessary?" Corneo asked, coming out from behind his desk to face the woman more head on, somewhat placing Tifa in between them. With his hands sensually trailing down the brunette's arms, Tifa shuddered in disgust. "My new bride and I were about to spend our wedding night together, and-"

"Actually," Tifa interrupted as sweetly as she could, her mind whirling as she tried to come up with a new plan. She was originally going to threaten Corneo when they were alone, but with a member of Soldier 1st Class there, Tifa knew she would be slaughtered if she attempted anything of the sort. "You haven't made me your bride yet." The words seemed to be spilling from her lips and she couldn't stop them. "I. . .I was raised better than that. . .to. . .to do certain things before actual marriage is against my beliefs." Tifa turned to look at Corneo from over her shoulder, and he looked furious.

"Actually," the woman in front of them said, and Tifa's head whipped around to stare at the Lieutenant General, "That would work perfectly. The two of you can come to the Shinra building tomorrow and get a formal marriage license. And while you are there, you can finish that meeting with President Shinra, Corneo. That way you can kill two birds with one stone."

"Astasia-!" Corneo whined, but the black haired woman stayed firm on this.

"That's Lieutenant General or Ma'am to you, Corneo. And why would you object to getting a formalized marriage? After all the years you've spent chasing the uninterested women, now that you have a willing one, one night wouldn't kill you. I'm sure you have a spare room for this young lady, and by this time tomorrow, once your meeting is done, you can be doing whatever it is you are planning with this woman." As if suddenly remembering her manners, the woman named Astasia turned her attention towards Tifa, and, while reassured that she had her own protector in this woman in front of her, Tifa felt true terror at the hardness in the other woman's eyes. "My apologies, what is your name?"

"T-tifa," the barmaid stuttered out, and flushed slightly when Astasia nodded her head in recognition.

"It is nice to meet you," she said a little stiffly before turning her attention back to Corneo. "Now, Corneo, this girl looks like she's freezing. Why don't you have someone show her to her room, and maybe get her a change of clothes that isn't the bee costume from the Honey Bee Inn." With a glare, the Don snapped his fingers and his still unnamed henchman sprang into action.

"On it boss!" he exclaimed before fleeing the room, most likely trying to find clothes that would fit the buxom female.

Silence filled the room after he left, and Tifa managed to escape out of Corneo's slimy grasp, moving to the side of the room where a day couch rested against the wall. She perched on the very edge of it, untrusting of how sanitary it actually was. Turning slightly green at visions of what might have happened on this couch, Tifa sat tall and tried not to fidget, her hands clasped in her lap as she sat like a lady.

"Do you like movies?" Corneo suddenly said after Astasia had taken up a position on the wall opposite of where Tifa sat. The barmaid jumped at the sudden intrusion of the silence and her attention shot to the only man in the room. Shaking her head no, she felt like she had to explain one of the few truths she's admitted in this room.

"We've never had money to see a movie, let alone the equipment for home use. We were lucky to have the public theater when growing up," she admitted softly. It was all true. It was only after coming to Midgar that Tifa had realized there was such things as movies, and the concept hadn't really entertained her that much. She was just too busy, between helping AVALANCHE and prepping the bar.

"What about music? Do you have time to listen to music?" came his next question, and Tifa had to put him down gently.

"I only ever listen to the news and the public radio. I've learned so many things, though!" she defended herself, slightly ashamed at just how uneducated she really was. There was a flush to her cheeks, and a chuckle coming from Astasia brought Tifa out of her indignation.

"I do the same. While music is delightful, one doesn't have time for it when compared to a busy day," the older woman explained. The moment was broken entirely when the unnamed henchman came back with a set of men's clothes.

"Sorry boss. All I got are a few spare things from tha guys. Will they do?"

"Of COURSE not!" Corneo explained. "Those clothes aren't fit for a lady! At least bring her a blanket, man!" Corneo sounded very cross, and that was Astasia's cue to push herself off of the wall and intervene.

"I think this would be a great time to show Miss Tifa to her room for the night. It has been a long day, I am sure, and I would not doubt she would appreciate the rest before her big day tomorrow," Astasia said, coming over to stand near Tifa.

"Ah yes!" Cornero replied, adjusting his outer robe before joining the two women at the couch. "I can even help her undress if she wants-"

"I can do that, if she needs help, which I doubt," Astasia interrupted, giving Corneo a pointed look. "After all, the bride and groom must not see each other the night before the wedding, no matter how nontraditional the wedding itself may be." As Corneo flushed at these words, Tifa found, for the second time that day, a hand coming to rest at her elbow to escort her somewhere. "If your henchmen can lead us to where Miss Tifa will be staying for the night, I can return here and ensure that no one will go in or out of these rooms. You will be quite safe here." Without a chance to let Corneo argue, Astasia turned to the peon. "Lead us to an available guestroom," she commanded.

Almost instantly, the henchman sprang into action and dashed out of the room, Astasia leading Tifa out afterwards, ignoring Corneo's blustering. Tomorrow was a big day, and Tifa was dreading it.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys! Here's the second chapter! ^.^ Hope you all are enjoying it so far. Do you guys have any predictions as to who Tifa's husband could be? (Plot twist: it's not Don Corneo) Make sure to leave a fave, a follow, and/or a review, and I'll see you in the next chapter!

Until next time, My Lovelies!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

* * *

Waking up early was never hard for Cloud. Finding that Aerith was awake before him startled him, but he quickly dismissed that notion. Jumping into the shower to remove the previous day's grime and monster blood from his body and clothes, it was just breaking dawn when they set out from the hotel. No place besides the diner was open, so they kipped in there quick for breakfast. By the time the item shop was open, Cloud and Aerith had wandered around looking at the different wares of the shops just starting to open up. Heading inside the item shop, the two missed Don Corneo's carriage trotting down the road to head towards the Shinra building.

Once inside the shop, it took a moment for Cloud's eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. A few seconds passed by before he could see the item shop owner lounging on his throw pillows. The shop owner looked over to Aerith and she huffed before going over to the doorway and looking out, shoving her fingers in her ears and quietly humming to herself.

"So, do you have the goods?" the shop owner asked Cloud, and the blond nodded before pulling the item out of his pocket and handing it over. "This is it?" The shop owner barked out a laugh before grinning down at Cloud. "Thanks man. Now that I know that he's selling _this_ , I will be able to outsell him! Here. As payment," he then said, pocketing the item. The shop owner then reached up into a box on the top shelf and pulled out a tiara that looked like it wasn't sparkling as brightly as it should. "You can have this. Maybe give it to your girlfriend over there."

Cloud accepted the gift, unsure of what to do with it. Collecting Aerith, the two of them left, the shopkeeper calling after them, "Thanks again man!"

"What was that about?" Aerith asked as they headed towards the dress shop, the wheel tracks from the carriage already fading on the dirt road.

"He wanted something that only I could get him. Apparently it was _so_ underhanded, he couldn't expose a girl to it." Aerith made a face at that and huffed again.

"Men, I swear," she said right as she entered the dress shop. The brunette then called out a warm greeting to the dressmaker and his daughter. "How is everything today?" she said cheerfully.

"Great!" the dressmaker replied happily. "I finished the dress last night-"

"Yes, in the wee hours of the morning. I had to force him to go to bed when he finished it," his daughter interrupted with a grin.

"Here, go and try it on!" he exclaimed, pushing the purple dress into the blond's hands and directing him towards the changing room. The dressmaker then turned his attentions to Aerith. "So, how did the wig acquisition go yesterday?"

"Pretty good. Cloud beat out Big Bro's champion, and we got this really nice looking wig," the brunette replied as she fished the wig out of her bag. It was a pretty blonde wig with pigtails, and looked very natural. The shopkeeper and his daughter complimented the quality of the wig before Cloud emerged from the dressing room, wearing the dress. It fit well, and without Cloud's measurements, too. "You are an artist," Aerith complimented the shopkeeper and he preened at the praise.

"Thank you. For getting me back in my groove, the dress is on the house! In fact, you, missy, pick out any dress you want as well. That's free too. The both of you helped so much, I can't thank you enough!" the dressmaker continued to gush. Grinning, Aerith thanked him and made her way over to a rack of dresses.

"Oooh, how about this one?" the dressmaker's daughter asked as she went to a different rack and pulled out a similarly colored pink dress in a different cut than the one Cloud was wearing.

"Or this one?" the dressmaker added as he pulled out a dress from the other side of the room that was in a royal blue and has a low cut front. Aerith ignored both of them and pulled out a strappy red dress from the rack she was hovering in front of.

"I like this one!" she exclaimed before heading to the dressing room to put it on. A few minutes later, she exited, her pink dress folded neatly and put in her bag. The dressmaker and his daughter were helping put the wig on Cloud, securing it with bobby pins.

"Don't forget this," Aerith then said as she came over and pulled the tiara out of Cloud's bag. She placed it on the newly wigged Cloud and grinned at him. "Beautiful!" Her following giggle ruined the effect she was trying to create, and Aerith then wandered around the store to try to find matching heels. Pulling a pair of red pumps off the shelf, she swapped her own shoes for them and then headed back to where Cloud was with flats for him. "I think this is your size, right?" she asked. With a flustered nod, Cloud let Aerith switch his boots out with a pair of the most uncomfortable shoes ever. They didn't even offer protection!

"Alright, I think you guys are all set!" the dressmaker's daughter exclaimed happily while clapping her hands excitedly. Her father merely stood there, proudly looking on with a smile.

"Good luck out there, son! You are very brave to do this," the shopkeeper commented before following them to the door. Cloud rounded on Aerith, glad he didn't have to worry about any sort of heels as he walked.

"Aerith, what does he mean? What did you tell him?" the blond asked as he flushed. The brunette giggled at him.

"Don't worry about it!" came her reply, and she led Cloud to Don Corneo's mansion.

The trek was short, and by the time the two nicely dressed 'females' got to the front steps of the mansion, Cloud had gotten used to walking in the shoes, and with Aerith instructing him how to walk like a proper lady on the way, the two of them were confident they could gain entrance at the mansion easily.

However, when they talked to the guy at the door, he merely frowned at them.

"Sorry ladies, but the Don is out right now. Too bad too, your friend is _hot_! Maybe you can come back later, for a personal tour, eh?" he said, grinning at them. Aerith merely smiled sweetly in reply.

"Do you know where Don Corneo went and when he'll be back? I was super looking forward to meeting him," she asked, laying it on thick. Cloud was smart and kept his mouth shut. He had too much of a baritone voice to pass as a girl.

"Well, he did head out to the Shinra building with the Lieutenant General and his bride. They were planning on gettin' married there, get it all official and such." A jolt of fear ran down Cloud's spine. "I think they said they'd be back sometime in the afternoon, or somethin'. You ladies are always welcome to wait here, too. We could get to know each other better." He leered at the two lecherously and raked his eyes up and down Aerith's figure. Giving a weak chuckle, she shook her head.

"No, we really must be going for now, if Don Corneo really isn't in. We'll come back later," Aerith promised before turning and grabbing Cloud's arm. The brunette suddenly jumped, letting out a yelp as the man stationed at the door smacked her rear end. Cloud quickly led a red-faced Aerith away as the doorman laughed.

"What do we do now?" the brunette asked in a small voice, a hand going to rub the bruise that was now sure to be forming as soon as they were out of sight.

"We'll just have to regroup at our base and see if we can stage a break in at Shinra. We'll have to hurry, though," Cloud replied, ushering her back into the dressmaker's shop so they could change back into their normal clothes. "I'm not sure how long they'll be at Shinra, and if we can ambush them as they're moving between the main building and Corneo's mansion, we'll have a better chance of surviving and succeeding if we have Barret and the others with us."

Nodding in agreement, Aerith quickly got changed and followed Cloud out of the shop, again thanking the shopkeeper and his daughter for their hospitality and kindness. As Cloud bribed their way through the gate between Sector 6 and Sector 7, Aerith's only thought was, _I hope we get there in time._

* * *

Tifa had other things on her mind as the group of three headed for the Shinra building. She had woken up early to find Astasia already up and Don Corneo needing to be woken. The sun was just rising as they ate a hearty breakfast that sat heavily in Tifa's stomach before heading out, Astasia riding in the carriage with them to afford a 'chaperone' for Tifa. She explained that it wasn't really old fashioned values that had her acting this way, it was the fact that Corneo was a lecherous freak, and the Lieutenant General was entirely unsure as to why Tifa was willing to marry him in the first place. The barmaid flushed and refused to comment, merely averting her gaze and the carriage reverted to silence. Corneo was already helping himself to alcohol, and Tifa declined, knowing she would need all of her wits about her in order to not end up with a husband at the end of the day.

Their commute seemed very short, and when they pulled in front of the Shinra building, Tifa felt like she was going to throw up. Astasia exited first, her eyes sweeping the area to make sure everything was safe. When she stepped forward, Corneo came out next, and then turned to help Tifa out. His palms were clammy, and she withdrew her hand from his almost as soon as her foot touched the ground. He didn't seem to notice, but he did let her walk in front of him, probably to watch her walk as Tifa followed Astasia into the Shinra building. Once inside, she faltered, not knowing where they needed to go. Corneo moved past her and motioned for her to continue. Astasia had already disappeared into the elevators, most likely to report to President Shinra.

"We'll head to public documentation. We'll get the mayor to marry us, and then after I take care of my meeting with President Shinra, we can head home and christen your new bedroom," Corneo added with a giddy grin. Tifa offered a shaky grin in return. If she had anything to do about it, they'd never to to the I Do's. The only problem was getting to a place where it was just the two of them so she could get the information that she needed. That was going to be hard, though. If they went into an elevator, she could easily overpower him, but that was only if the elevator was empty. If not, then her mission would have been a failure, and she would have gone through all of this for nothing.

To her disappointment, Corneo led her up the stairs to a counter on the second floor. "We'd like to get a marriage license," Corneo said with a grin, thinking he had everything he wanted within his grasp. He grabbed Tifa's hand, and in her distraction of trying to figure out a way out of this aside from fighting or killing everyone here, she didn't really notice. "We would like to do it quickly. My bride here is really excited." Tifa just nodded, her focus returning to the secretary in front of her. The woman at the desk nodded, pulling her glasses down to she could read her screen more easily.

"I think we can manage that. Name?" she asked, her mouse clicking on the proper documentation before her fingers poised over the keyboard, ready to get started.

"Don Corneo, obviously. Everyone knows who I am," he said jubilantly, and Tifa noticed the secretary grimace.

"Yes, I know," she had said before her eyes shot over to the silent brunette by his side. "Name," she repeated, and it took Tifa a few tries to get her voice working.

"Tifa," she said.

"Tifa what?" came the short reply as her fingers made quick work of her first name.

"Tifa Lockhart. No 'e'." There was a silence so thick, it could be cut with a knife. The secretary frowned, before double checking the spelling with the barmaid. After reassuring her that it was correct, the secretary's frown grew deeper.

"I'm sorry, but you two can't get married," the woman in front of the computer said. Tifa's mind just went into overdrive, ecstatic that half of her plan was already done. Now, to get him alone so she could threaten him-

"WHAT?!" Corneo exclaimed, his voice echoing all along the first and second floors, causing Tifa to come out of her musings just as the secretary repeated herself.

"You can't get married. She already has a husband."

* * *

A/N: BOOM! There's the plot twist! (that's not really a plottwist haha). We're getting to some juicy stuff here! How is everyone enjoying the story so far? I can't wait for the husbando reveal so I can add his name to the character list huehuehue.

Like always, don't forget to favorite, like, or even leave a review. Feedback is important to me and I appreciate all of it.

Until next time, my Lovelies!

~Ikuni


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

* * *

"You can't get married. She already has a husband."

This time it was Tifa's turn to cry out in alarm. "What do you mean I already have a husband. I have no memory of such a thing!"

Exasperated, as if this was a common occurrence, the secretary swung her monitor around so the two could get a quick glimpse of the certificate on the screen before it was moved out of view once more. "It looks like-" the woman started before being cut off by an explosion that rocked the Shinra building. Tifa felt an arm wrap around her waist to help steady her, while her hands shot to the desk to do the same thing. Once the shaking subsided, everyone righted themselves, just before a building wide alarm went off. Tifa's heart dropped to the bottom of her stomach at this, and was only wound up even more when a call came through the phone intercom on the secretary's desk.

 _The pillar of Sector 7 has fallen, I repeat, the pillar of Sector 7 has fallen!_

"What. . .what does that mean?" Tifa asked in dread, taking a step back in fear for her friends and family.

"It means," another woman said as she strode up to the desk, a folder of documents in hand, "that the maintenance crews and their Turks bodyguard went out to the pillar this morning for weekly maintenance, AVALANCHE found out and tried to kill them all. Afterwards, one of them set a bomb up and destroyed the pillar. That shaking you heard, unfortunately, was hundreds of people of both the upper plate and the slums losing their lives to the plate falling."

"Head Secretary Kiani!" the woman at the desk exclaimed as she shot to her feet, giving a slight bow. "What are you doing down here?" The woman named Kiani handed the folder off to the secretary that addressed her.

"Giving you these. I need them given to the Mayor, and since he refuses to see me anymore, I need you to take it to him instead." Turning her attention to Corneo and Tifa, she rose an eyebrow. "I can finish up here for you, if you'd like."

"B-but Kiani, the plate-!"

"I know full well about it and there is nothing we can do about it. The terrorists struck, knowing they could cause damage to the lives and property of the city, and all we can do is go about our days knowing that cleanup crews are already working on finding survivors and that we have a unit of Soldiers 3rd Class helping with evac. Now go," the head secretary ordered, thrusting the file into the other woman's arms.

All the while Kiani was talking, Tifa's mind was whirling. AVALANCHE had attacked the pillar? Was the victory over Shinra really worth the loss of an entire district? Of their hideout? Of their home?

Her home.

She had no home now. Tifa's face went ashen as she realized she had nowhere to go.

"Miss? Miss, are you alright?" Kiani asked the brunette as she took the now vacated seat behind the computer. Taking a quick look at the screen, the secretary's eyes focused back on the woman in front of her. "I take it you're Tifa?" The brunette nodded, looking like she was in great shock.

"I'm homeless now. . .I don't have anywhere else to go. . ." she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.

"I could always contact your husband for you. To see if he's alright. I take it your home was in Sector 7? You are very lucky to have been out of there at this time of the day. Who is your husband? I can't make out this signature." Kiani was speaking normally, but to Tifa, she was going a thousand meters per second.

"I. . .I don't know who my husband is. I don't remember anything about it," she admitted. At this point, Corneo took over the conversation. Or at least tried.

"Well, if she doesn't remember her husband, or the event itself, she probably got taken advantage of. As my wife, I'd never let anything happen to her, let alone let her be separated from me," he boasted, earning a glare from Kiani.

"Well, she's not your wife, she's someone else's. Now we just need to figure out who he is so we can contact him," Kiani commented before turning back to Tifa, her expression softening. "Let me print off your marriage certificate. Perhaps seeing the signature might jog your memory, or something." Clicking a few buttons, Kiani had the printer working, but it was going slow.

Tifa could feel herself nodding, but a panic settled over her senses. This was just too much. A husband she didn't remember, a home destroyed.

She needed air.

With a quickly stated, "I. . .I need fresh air. I gotta get out of here. . ." Tifa was running down the stairs and out the doors, her head held in her hands as she tried to calm herself down.

"H-hey!" Corneo called after her as she fled. He started to go after her, but then stopped after a few steps when a cute tour guide passed him as she led a group of gawkers to the designated safe area until the alarms turned off.

Kiani waited long enough for the certificate to print before grabbing it off of the printer and following Tifa out of the building, leaving Corneo to prey on any cute woman in the near vicinity, his attention on Tifa fully lost during her panic attack.

Kiani found Tifa sitting on the steps with her head in her hands. Sitting next to her, Kiani rubbed the brunette's back in the attempt to help her calm down.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" she asked, somewhat uncertain how to proceed from here. Neither woman noticed Don Corneo approach them from behind to listen in.

"I'm homeless. The only family and home that I had was back in Sector 7," Tifa cried, everything hitting her all at once. She should have had Jessie come with her. At least she could have saved one life from the monstrosity of their group. How could Barret have sanctioned this? People lost their lives because of this!

"Well, your family isn't all dead. You still have your husband," Kiani said reassuringly, thrusting her marriage certificate into her hands. Tifa glanced down at the piece of paper and felt nothing.

"I don't even know this so-called husband. How do I know if this is real or not?" She had run out of tears, but the agony in her heart was still there. She had lost her home a second time in five years, and it hurt so much.

"We can always assist you with finding him. It might take a while to go through our records of every married man, but we can see who's signature fits the one on the certificate," Kiani offered.

"Why not put together a contest of sorts?" Corneo asked, revealing himself as he offered his opinion. Tifa jumped, but Kiani kept her cool, used to people popping out of the woodwork. "Tifa can spend the night in her room at my mansion in Sector 6 until we can find her husband. Then I can challenge him for her hand. If he doesn't show up, we might have to think of the possibility that he died when the plate fell."

In her distraught state, Tifa could only agree. She had little money, so free room and board for however long she needed it was a blessing. Of course, she could have fought against the monsters in the causeway between Sectors 5 and 6, but she was not in the right mental state to do anything at the moment.

"I can organize an event for tomorrow," Kiani offered. "Set out a news bulletin for the event for all men who think they may be married to you. We'll need to take a pretty picture of you, post it with the news bulletin and hope for a good turn out. This would actually be a good event to get everyone's minds off of the plate dropping." Hope blossomed in Tifa's bosom at Kiani's words. There was, of course, dread, but there was hope too. She may have lost everything, but she might gain something too. She didn't even know if there was anything left of AVALANCHE. Hopefully Cloud had still been with his girlfriend away from Sector 7, and was alive. But Barret? Tifa was so mad at Barret for going through with this. What right had he to dictate which innocents lived and died?! Her only hope was that Marlene was safe, and that Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge were alive.

"Do it," Tifa stated, her resolve hardening as she straightened, Kiani's arm slipping from her back. "I want to know who it is, and why I don't remember anything. I want answers, and a semblance of normalcy."

Kiani stood and helped Tifa up. "I'll get started on that," Kiani commented before brushing herself, then Tifa off. "We'll get that official picture taken of you. Do you have any other clothes?" she asked, looking at the day old blue dress Tifa still had on. The barmaid shook her head, a frown appearing on her face.

"No, everything I had was back at my home," she explained. Kiani pulled out her phone and made a note on it before turning to Corneo.

"Since you're wanting to marry her, are you willing to pay for a new wardrobe for her?" Kiani asked, getting into her business mode. The Don nodded.

"Whatever she needs, I can provide. Money is no objection to me," he offered, and Tifa took a deep breath to further calm herself.

"Let's get this over with," Tifa then said. She knew she had to get her life back on track, and seeing what she was left with would be a great way to start.

The trio had gone back into Shinra long enough to take a professional grade photo of her for the event announcement, and by the time Corneo had finished paying for Tifa's new wardrobe and they had come back to his mansion, the day was coming to an end and the event had been announced. They had to be back at the Shinra building by 8 tomorrow to be ready for the event to begin at 9. All eligible men would arrive and be filtered through tables of papers. They all had to fill one out and then sign their name at the bottom. While Tifa would be standing on the platform to be a visible remind of why there were there, there would be workers being paid overtime to check the signature against the one on the marriage certificate. Truthfully, they only needed the signature, but the men applying didn't need to know that.

With the security of a door lock that only she had the key to, Tifa had a fitful night of tossing and turning, her mind running through all the possibilities of who her husband could be, and what he would be like. Would he be kind, or hardworking? Was he old or just around her age? The anticipation of knowing kept her awake until the wee hours of the morning, where her exhaustion carried her to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Welp, here's the 4th chapter! We're almost there in figuring out who Tifa's husband is! :D I'm loving all of your guesses, but for those of you wondering, no, Cloud is not her husband. I've never really like that pairing, and I won't start now, haha.

I want to thank all of you for reviewing and favoriting and following this story. It truly means a lot to me that you guys like this enough to stick with it. Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day! :D

Until next time my Lovelies! *kissy smooching sounds*

~Ikuni


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

* * *

Cloud and Aerith was having a just as fruitful day as Tifa and Corneo. Quickly changing out of their things, Cloud took Aerith with him when he rushed towards Sector 7, forcing his way through the gate between the two sectors. Telling Barret of all he knew, the leader of AVALANCHE reassured Cloud that Tifa was a big girl and knew what she was doing. It was at that point, however, that Biggs had rushed in and exclaimed that the fence around the Plate Pillar was open and that this was their chance to take a final stand. There was a high ranking Turks member at the top, probably causing mayhem, and they needed to stop them.

"Missy, can you take Marlene somewhere safe? Somewhere away from Sector 7? I dun' want her to be in the area if something bad goes down," Barret asked Aerith, and she nodded her head.

"Of course! I'll take her to my mom's. That's far away enough from here. She'll be safe," Aerith said. Cloud shot Barret a relieve smile over Aerith's head. He didn't want to have the argument over and over again of trying to keep her out of danger and her willing to fight. This was a win-win situation in his mind.

"Go now. I don't want to take any chances," Barret said, and a few minutes later saw Aerith escorting Marlene out of Sector 7. Somehow knowing that his daughter was in good hands, Barret turned back to Cloud and tossed him a Restore Materia they had found while the blond was away. "You head on up there. Biggs, Wedge, Jessie and I will be bringing up the rear and securing the stairs." Nodding, the two dashed out of 7th Heaven and headed for the stairs that led to the control panel atop the Sector 7 Pillar. Barret stayed at the bottom of the stairs until all three AVALANCHE members could make their way in. Biggs replaced Barret so he could advance further. Their climb to the top was swift and when Cloud reached the top, his vision was filled with red hair and a blue suit. There were two maintenance men working at the control panel, and another one was halfway under the console, fiddling with wires. Reno of the Turks, however, immediately saw the threat that was Cloud and pointed his electrorod at the intruder.

"You are unauthorized to be here. Leave now," Reno ordered, the maintenance workers not bothering to stop their work, knowing they were protected.

"Enough! We know you're up to something here, and we're going to stop it!" Barret exclaimed as he suddenly appeared from the stairs.

"What are you talking abou-" Reno started to say but he was cut short, jumping back as Barret let loose a barrage of bullets at him. With a cry of alarm, Reno got serious, a glare set their way.

"James, no!" A cry from the side caught everyone's attention, one of the workers that had been standing was down, the other two huddled around him. A red spot was blossoming on James' shirt, and Reno turned back to Cloud and Barret, who were both ready for a fight.

"You two will pay for that!" Reno called out. "Raine, Louker, call for a helicopter. We're getting out of here!"

"Not so fast!" Cloud called back, brandishing his sword the only way he knew how. Reno was unamused and pointed his electrorod at the two before getting into a fighting stance.

"Bring it!"

The three fought, Cloud's sword clashing with Reno's electrorod, Barret occasionally getting a few shots in when the two separated long enough so that he wouldn't shoot his blonde partner. The bullets were beginning to annoy Reno, so he put some distance between himself and the other two. Pointing his rod at Barret, he chanted a spell and light burst from the tip. A pyramid of light surrounded Barret, and he found that he couldn't move. Shooting bullets at it from the inside didn't seem to work. He wasn't sure how to get out of this one. Cloud, on the other hand, was focusing all of his attention on Reno, ignoring the plight that Barret was in. Behind Reno, a helicopter hovered nearby, and the two remaining maintenance workers dragged their fallen comrade to their transport.

"Reno, you're going down!" Cloud called out, and the redhead merely gave a laugh.

"You wish, spiky! You'll need years more training to be able to defeat me in battle." The pyramid around Barret suddenly became smaller, and it forced him to his knees. "You might want to help your friend there. It looks like he won't last for much longer." Cloud chanced a look to see what danger Barret was actually in, and this gave Reno the time to slip away and jump into the helicopter still waiting for them. "Later losers!"

As the enemy got away, Cloud attacked the pyramid just as it once again became smaller. The pyramid burst, releasing Barret, and he collapsed to the floor.

"That was horrible! I'm going to gut the little freak the next time we see him!" Barret exclaimed as he caught his breath. Getting to his feet, he led Cloud over to the console and the two of them were trying to figure out exactly what they all were doing there. Cloud got underneath the console to see if there was anything wrong, but had no clue what anything did under there.

"Anything?" Cloud called out.

"Nada!" Barret replied. "You?"

"Nothing."

"Wait, what's this?" Cloud was out from under the console and next to the gunman in the blink of an eye.

"What is that?" the blond asked, taking a closer look at the line of text on the screen. "Why does it say detonation?!"

"What?! I knew those scumbags were up to no good!" Barret exclaimed, pointing his gun at the screen.

"Barret, don't-" Cloud quickly said but the other man ignored him. With a few well aimed shots of his gatling gun, Barret made quick work of the console. Static raced along the keyboard, and the remnants of the screen flickered red before a siren went off. "No! Barret, I think you set it off! We gotta get out of here!" The larger man looked around and headed for the stairs. Cloud looked back at the screen and noticed the timer.

"Barret, we don't have time! This thing is going to blow any second!" Cloud said, heading for a crane line they could swing down on.

"What about Jessie, and Biggs, and Wedge?!" Barret was torn between his loyalty to his fellow AVALANCHE members and his motivation for seeing Marlene again. Without letting Cloud reply, the leader of AVALANCHE had made up his mind and followed Cloud to their only escape route. It proved to be profitable when the entire pillar shattered as explosions rocked its very being, Cloud and Barret having just pushed off the edge to swing down off of the pillar. For all they knew, Jessie, Biggs, and Wedge were still in the staircase, and only a feeling of utter damnation filled them.

The two had eventually landed in the Sector 6 playground, and had attempted to regain access into Sector 7 in the attempt to warn everyone, but with a resounding crash and billowing dust, the Sector 7 plate fell, destroying everything underneath.

When the dust cleared, only warped metal and smouldering remnants of the pillar were seen through the forced open gate. Barret fell to his knees and cried out in anguish.

"Noooooo! Marlene! Biggs! Wedge! Jessie!"

Cloud just stood there silently, in shock, at the destruction laid before them. He let Barret mourn, as he himself mourned the loss of what could have been another home to him. He had begun to like 7th Heaven and the hideout, and everyone in it.

They stayed there for at least 10 minutes, letting their rage and grief build up. However, before they could explode at each other, Cloud remembered something important.

"Barret, I think Marlene is alive. Aerith said she would take her to her mother's house, and she would have easily gotten through the gate before we had even gotten up the stairs," Cloud said, trying to convince not only himself, but Barret as well. "I know where the house is. We can go there and regroup. If we can find Tifa, we could get her to help us." Barret took a moment to stand and nodded, hope burning in his chest.

"Those Shinra bastards won't get the best of us. We're going to take them down, and I know that Tifa would love to help in that," Barret said, his focus narrowed and his eyes set forward. "Lead the way. I need time to think." Nodding, Cloud started heading towards Sector 6 and Aerith's house.

* * *

A/N: Hey guys. Been super busy. Hope you liked this chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: What's this? Two updates in one month?! :D

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 6:

Knocking on a door he had left less than 48 hours ago, Cloud felt nervous. When Aerith's mom opened the door with tears in her eyes, Cloud's heart could only sink.

"What's wrong?" he asked immediately, and Elmyra ushered them into the house.

"They took Aerith!" she exclaimed.

"Who did?" Barret then asked, his eyes searching the spacious one room that seemed to take up the entirety of the first floor.

"The Turks. They've been after my girl for years now. They caught up to her just outside here and bargained with her. If she would come quietly, they would let me and the little girl she was with live." Elmyra burst into tears again.

Barret stepped forward, a frown on his face. "I want to apologize. That little girl that Aerith was bringing here is my daughter. She was bringing her to safety, and I am so, so sorry that I failed my duty as a father to see my daughter to safety myself, putting yours into harm's way."

Elmyra waved his concerns off. "Don't worry about that. Aerith was always such a kind hearted girl, she would have helped anyway. Had your daughter not been with her when the Turks approached, they would have threatened me anyway. They've been after her for a long while now. It was only a matter of time before they would have pushed harder." Elmyra fell silent and so did Barret, unsure of what to say next. His main concern, however, was Marlene, and that soon got him talking once more.

"I, uh, do have to ask. Is my daughter here, or?" Barret questioned hesitantly, almost afraid for the woman to say the girl had been taken as well.

"Oh, yes, she is upstairs playing. First bedroom closest to the stairs," came Elmyra's reply, and without another word, Barret bounded up the stairs to find his daughter. While the two rebonded and reassured themselves the other was alright, Cloud stayed behind to talk with Elmyra a little bit, and managed to reassure her that they would be going into the Shinra building that day, hopefully, and rescue Aerith before taking them down. They would obviously need to reevaluate any plan they made once they got inside and saw what they were dealing with. All of it would be with the intent of getting Aerith out alive.

Cloud sat with a mug of tea in front of him, inhaling the scent and savoring the warmth seeping into his fingers. Barret came down to join them, and he couldn't thank Elmyra enough.

"Would I be able to impose on your hospitality for a little while longer?" he asked her. Nodding her consent, Elmyra was given a hug by the bigger man.

"My only stipulation is that you come back to her. I will not have her become an orphan just for a rescue attempt and petty revenge." This got Barret's assenting nod easily and with a smile from Elmyra, the two known remaining AVALANCHE members sitting down to formulate a plan that would ensure they not get killed. With Elmyra providing little snacks to fuel them and Marlene upstairs taking a nap, it took them only an hour to get their plan together. Get in, get out, simple as that.

It was time to put the plan into place.

The trip up to the Shinra building from the slums was simple enough. With help from the kids of the Sector 6 Wall Market, the two were able to climb up the dilapidated wall and step out onto the front steps of the Shinra building. They both had planned to go through the front of the Shinra building and overwhelm them, and if possible, perhaps wait to brandish any weapons until they got to the higher floors so they would be less likely to be kicked out.

Their infiltration went smoothly, and no one realized they were there until they reached the 60th floor and the doors opened to reveal guards there. Panicking, Barret shot one of them, leaving Cloud to take care of the other one. As they exited the elevators, a passing female working screamed at the bloodshed and took off running towards the stairs. Cloud took off after her to stop her from raising the alarm but it was too late. She had already barricaded herself in the stairwell and headed for the next floor to warn any that was willing to listen.

"We have to hurry! We need to get to the next level before they lock this one down," Cloud explained and he started hacking at the door that led to the stairwell. Barret contributed with his gunarm, and in no time at all, the two were headed towards the next floor.

The woman must have already alerted everyone here, because the entire staff lounge area was empty. There was a keycard with the number 65 on it lying on the floor, probably dropped in their rush to get to safety. Picking it up, they two advanced further, exploring every floor they got to until they arrived at Hojo's labs on the 67th floor. Exploring here as well, Cloud got a huge shock when he recognized the headless woman floating inside a Mako Pod near the entrance to the lab.

Reading the plaque that held the pod's information, Barret had only one question. "Who, or what, is Jenova?"

"An evil creature that beget an evil child," Cloud replied sourly, flashes of memory coming back to him from 5 years ago. "Let's just keep going. I don't think Jenova will be able to do much from her tank." Continuing further into the lab, they found a way upstairs, where they found Hojo cackling madly at the experiment he was currently running. Aerith was in the center tank, and when she saw Cloud and Barret, she pounded on the glass with her fists to try to catch their attention. The glass was so thick, however, that neither party could hear what the other was saying. Cloud rounded on Hojo, anger visible on his face.

"Hojo! Let her go!"

"Oh, and who's going to make me, you?" the scientist replied with a sneer. "Bring up the test subject! We'll see exactly what the both of them are made of." With a shriek they could all see but not hear, Aerith began pounding on the glass harder as the floor in the center of the tank moved upward, bringing a red quadrupedal creature with it. It began growling at the brunette, and with another silent scream, Barret's self-control broke and he started shooting at the tank.

"No, stop! You'll destroy all of my hard work!" Hojo screamed, but with another round of bullets, the glass shattered. Hojo rushed down onto the main floor to try to restore some semblance of order, but as soon as he was in sight of the red furred creature, it attacked him, and Hojo was now trying to prevent himself from being mauled.

"Bring in Specimen HO512! Do it! Now!" Hojo exclaimed, and with one great push, shoved the creature off of him. Getting to his feet, he staggered back onto the platform and locked himself into the control room, letting the monster that just rose from the depths of his labs destroy the intruders. Hojo fled along with some of his interns. He had to let President Shinra know that he had the terrorists in his lab. The Turks would probably be sent for, perhaps the Lieutenant General. But Hojo knew one thing: when their bodies were still cooling, he would have new test subjects to play with.

The fight with the monster went easily enough. Aerith stood off to the side while Cloud, Barret, and the red furred specimen known as Red XIII fought the thing. With Red's long ranged leaping attacks, the party was able to bypass the creatures that served as meat shields for the main monster, especially after learning that the monster would create more of them off of its body.

With its corpse lying amongst the glass shards in the remnants of the tank, the four of them headed back downstairs to gain access to the elevators. It would have been nice to take out the company from within, but since they had succeeded in finding and rescuing Aerith, they might as well see her home safely before attempting another attack, hopefully with Tifa by their side. When they got to the elevator, the button seemed to be stuck. A few seconds later, however, saw a taller man with a bald head walk in and just stand there.

"Going up?" he asked, and Cloud turned and paled, recognizing the figure. Barret didn't, however, and sassed the man back.

"We're goin' down, so you can take the other elevator," came the reply. The bald man smirked at them, before pointing up.

"I believe we are all going up," he reiterated, and he stepped aside to reveal a shorter man with dark hair and the traditional chakra mark of Wutai.

"We have a meeting with the President. Won't you come along?" With two Turks crowding the four of them in the elevator, they had no choice but be arrested, their hands handcuffed behind their backs before being brought before the president of the Shinra company.

There was snark all around, and the four of them were sentenced to spend the night in jail before being sedated and given to Hojo for experimentation. Barret was the only one not resigned to his fate, and fought the entire way. It was only luck that they all spent the night in jail instead of their own specimen chambers. The other ones had to be fixed before anymore could be added. No one got much sleep that night, and when they did, everyone's dreams could be described as horrific.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

* * *

Waking early from a fitful sleep saw Tifa tired beyond belief, and as she stretched her aching muscles, her stomach was doing somersaults as she remembered what their plans for today was. When she was ready, they would head back to the Shinra building where the event was set up, and from there, she would hopefully meet her husband. Someone whom she couldn't remember, but desperately wanted to. Especially if he could get her out of her situation with Corneo. He was like a bloodhound: unrelenting and always pushing. They were supposed to be there by 9 to get everything kicked off, so Tifa had to get ready soon. A knock at her door saw her quickly putting on a new outfit that Corneo had bought her the day before. When she had unlocked and opened the door, she found Astasia waiting on her. She must have arrived sometime during the night.

"Are you ready to go?"

"Lieutenant General? What are you doing here?" Tifa asked curiously, turning around and shutting her door tightly, keeping the key in the purse that went with this dress.

"Please, between the two of us, it is just Astasia. I make that tub of lard call me by my title because he doesn't deserve the familiarity of a first name basis. I have been sent here to escort you to the event. The President. . .has taken an interest in your situation. His eyes will be on the outcome of this event and wishes you the best. Shall we be off?" the older woman suggested. Nodding, Tifa followed after her and joined her in the car sent by Shinra. Corneo would follow after them in his chocobo drawn carriage, but the two ladies would arrive in style.

Resting her forehead against the window, Tifa's thoughts wandered as the world around her zoomed by. She was still heartbroken over her friends in Sector 7, and the more she thought about it, the more Shinra must have been lying about AVALANCHE's involvement. Astasia must have seen her thoughts on her face, for she broke the silence between them, in an attempt to console the brunette.

"It must have been terrifying, living in the same Sector as a terrorist group." At Tifa's alarmed stare, Astasia elaborated, interpreting her expression wrong. "AVALANCHE was based in Sector 7. We only found this out when we dug out any survivors that we could and they were cursing the group for meddling where they didn't belong."

"There were survivors?!" Tifa asked in growing horror, unable to imagine how much pain these people must be in.

"Yes, thankfully. We did not find a lot, but there was enough to fill all of the emergency beds in the hospital. Thank goodness the hospital itself was on the Sector 1 plate. I would hate to see the damage AVALANCHE could have done had they taken that plate down instead," Astasia replied, her gaze now resting on the scenery rushing past them. "After we are done here, we could always visit to see if you know any of the survivors?" she offered, and for the first time in the last 48 hours, hope blossomed in Tifa's chest.

"I...would like that," the barmaid replied, her countenance a bit more lifted than earlier. Smiling to herself, Astasia let the conversation drop, knowing they would be at the building in a few short moments. The joys of using a company car meant they could not only take the freeway, but they could also take the express lanes, ignoring all of the traffic of commuters on their way to work. While traffic congestion wasn't a problem yet in their growing city like it was in Junon, there still was a good amount of cars on the road.

Passing the hospital only a few blocks away from the Shinra Building, Tifa's gaze was inexplicably drawn to it. Her friends could be in there. There was hope. . .

The car came to a stop, and Kiani was on the steps ready to greet them. Assigned to organize and preside over this event by the President Shinra himself, Kiani had a clipboard ready and a staff of five all stationed behind her. Everyone was pristine and tidy, and ready to get this event underway. The Head Secretary explained how everything would go as they walked into the building, their event stationed to take place on the first floor between the two staircases. A stage was set up to elevate Kiani, Tifa, and Astasia, the last of which staying as main security, a request also given by President Shinra.

How the event would go is that the contestants would fill out paperwork at the first line of tables, then wait in line past that to hand the paperwork in at the second line of tables, where the five individuals roped into this would check the signatures at the bottom of each paper to the signature on the electronic certificate on the computer screen in front of them. From there, contestants would be told to wait or to go home. Expecting this to take only a few hours, everything was set up for the normal business hours of the building. Their rough estimates for the people brought in were under a hundred. When hoards of men turned up all throughout the day, more workers were called down to assist in the event to handle the surge of people in their building.

"Remember, Tifa, smile and wave. One of these men could be your husband, and you at least want to appear nice and docile before he takes you home and realizes why you two were separated," Kiani said teasingly, currently looking over the only 10 applicants whose signatures came even remotely close to the original. Sadly for them, however, their names didn't correspond with the original, and they were soon asked to leave.

With the time reaching closer to the dinner hour, the crowds began to thin, and the workers started to relax, knowing their jobs were almost done. Tifa was so done with this day, having lost interest in it already with how long this process was taking. She had exhausted her imaginative capacity in fantasizing about what her husband would be like. Was he even alive? Had he decided a one-night stand, something she was wholly not unused to, was not his thing? Had he moved out of Midgar and gotten a new wife?

It could have only been a one-night stand. . .or possibly a very drunken one-night stand, considering she didn't remember any of it!

The long hours of this event spent together with Kiani and Astasia endeared them to each other. Tifa found herself actually enjoying spending time with these two Shinra employees, despite their employer, and when both women could frighten off Don Corneo with a look, Tifa found herself wanting to spend as much time with them as possible.

Through their conversation, the barmaid learned that Astasia had lived within a Shinra setting her entire life. Having been born to one of the scientists, her and her brother were enrolled into the Soldier program at a young age, taking the military style classes designated for children 14 and under. The only life she has known was the military, so she had apologized several times when she thought she had misread an emotion or a situation, due to her conditioning. She claimed she was trying to work on that.

Kiani, Tifa learned, actually came to Midgar near the end of the Wutai War 7 years ago, and miraculously got a job being a secretary, a position her sister had helped her get. However, through sheer perseverance and dedication, Kiani rose through the ranks of secretarial power, and became one of three personal secretaries of the President Shinra. Even her expertise there saw her claiming the title of Head Secretary once the old matron Mrs. Lewis retired three and a half years ago. Since then, her orders were always, "Kiani! Do the thing!" or "Kiani, make sure that thing gets done today." or her favorite, "Schedule a meeting with so-and-so about that thing." This one usually involved President Shinra flapping his hands in a gesture of trying to remember what words to actually use. However, understandable, Kiani found her job improving when her boss actually knew what he was talking about and could coherently get his point across.

Tifa found herself telling the two women about how she had lived in Nibelheim up until the end of the Wutai war. She had then gone to Midgar to see if she could make money to send back to her family, but after working for a year or so as a barmaid, her only remaining family died when her father guided someone through the Nibel mountains and never came back. Tifa had then inherited the bar she had been working at when the owner retired and left to go to Costa del Sol, and now that she's lost 7th Heaven, she wasn't entirely sure what she would do now. She was poor, homeless, and didn't want to impose on Corneo's 'hospitality' for too long.

Astasia and Kiani agreed with her immediately and offered their own places for her to stay should they not find her husband soon. After all, the participants only had a 24 hours notice, since the announcement was put together and aired only an hour after Tifa had gotten her picture taken the day before. Only those in Midgar were really able to attend, unless they had guaranteed fast transportation from other place around the Planet. She had to warn them, however, about the small gifts and flowers she would occasionally get. Once every two weeks, a package would be waiting on her doorstep, no matter where she spent the night. This week would actually be the week to receive the first present of the month, and while Tifa had started looking forward to getting these little trinkets and bouquets of flowers, she had worried about how her admirer could always find her. Her stomach growling however cut that line of thinking short.

Having had lunch brought to her hours ago found Tifa becoming slightly peckish once more, as she lounged on the cushiony settee provided by the company so she wouldn't have to stand on her feet for 8 hours or more, despite that being her profession. While contemplating asking for at least a snack to tide her over until the event finished, Tifa was startled out of her musings by one of the Shinra employees staffing the first line tables coming up the stairs of the stage and whispering something into Kiani's ear. With a wicked grin, the Head Secretary whispered back. Tifa was able to catch a snippet of what was being said.

"Let's entertain him. Let him apply." The lobby was pretty much empty by now, only a few stragglers hanging around to either hope they could catch the beautiful Tifa's eye, or to see who actually was her husband.

Tifa's eye, at that moment, was caught by a movement of white, and she turned to find a blond man in a white suit talking to one of the workers at the first table before grabbing one of the application papers and filling it out in seconds, before heading to the second line of tables. He was waved towards the stage, his paper not even gracing the sights of the people working there. Tifa watched, fascinated, as he approached.

"Who is he?" Tifa asked Astasia just before noticing that she stood at attention and saluted the newcomer. As soon as he came up on stage, Tifa got her answer as Kiani greeted him.

"Welcome back to Midgar, Vice President Rufus," she said, and she took his application to compare the signature to the one on the certificate.

"What brings you back here, Mr. Vice President?" Astasia asked the young man as he turned to face the other two women on stage. Tifa saw over Vice President Rufus' shoulder that Corneo was practically falling over himself as he tried to rush up onto stage. His name was ringing a bell in her mind, she just couldn't remember where-

"I'm here to get my wife back," he said simply. Turning to her and taking her hand to bow over it and kiss it, he greeted Tifa with a "Hello, Mrs. Shinra. You obviously don't remember me." At this moment, Corneo made it up to the stage and was trying to lay claim to Tifa when Kiani tripped him, not letting him ruin this moment. Tifa was simply entranced, her mind going to mush, as she finally had a name to pair with the face that would occasionally flash in her mind.

"What. . .what happened?" It was the only thing she could get out and she was kind of glad she hadn't said anything else that was on her mind. She was super glad he was attractive and looked near her age, but could only cringe that his name was Shinra, the company that she had been working against up until recently. Although Shinra wasn't completely bad. It helped her get out of a marriage with Don Corneo, and Astasia and Kiani were two wonderful women who just so happened to work there.

"A drunken night together got us to talking, I proposed, you accepted, we got married that night, consummated our marriage-" Tifa grew bright red at this as Kiani sniggered in the background and Astasia smirked at her side "- and when we woke up, you regretted everything, kicked me out of bed, and told me you'd call me. Only you never did. That was about two years ago," he explained, letting her hand fall to her side, knowing it might hurt his cause if he held it for too long.

"I-I. . .I don't remember anything," Tifa replied, confused. She walked over to Kiani and checked the signatures herself. It was a perfect match. "Why didn't you contact me?"

"And hurt my chances if you were still mad at me?" he shot back with a lighthearted tone and a grin. "Would you have believed me?"

Something then dawned on Tifa. "All the flowers, the random presents. . .that was you?"

"For two years. I thought you were angry at me."

"I just never knew."

It was at this point that Corneo regained his feet and his bravery, to face down the Vice President of the company he stood in. "H-hey!" he exclaimed. "She's supposed to be MY bride!" Rufus glared at him before Tifa got the chance and she didn't know whether to be flattered that he came to her rescue or indignant that he thought her helpless.

"Don't you dare talk about my wife like that! Begone, lecher! Find some other woman to seduce!"

As Corneo scampered off-Tifa hadn't had any emotional attachment to any of her things she had at his abode, although her plans with Kiani and Astasia to relocate her things might still be viable, so she didn't mind burning that bridge-Tifa huffed at the Vice President. . .although she should start referring to him as Rufus, or even her husband in her mind, at least. Even at that thought saw butterflies in Tifa's stomach and she had to force the blush off her face as she tried to stay annoyed at her husband. However, before she could get started on a tirade, Rufus had her hand in his and was kissing her knuckles once more.

"I know you might hate me, but please, give me another shot. Let me woo you properly. You might not love me right now, but I want to remind you why we had gotten married in the first place. Please, will you give me a chance?"

* * *

A/N: Welp. I'm back for now. Look at this bombshell right here XD The next chapter shall (hopefully) be in the next few days. The next several chapters are already written, for I have been busy while gone, but I still need to put them through my rigorous editing process. Thank you all so much for your patience, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Credit definitely goes to SunnyGirl202's Sunset Slice, a RufTi collection of one shots that reinspired me to come back to this fic. So make sure to head on over to read that fic, because ahhhh I love it.

Make sure to follow if you liked it, fave it if you love it, and leave a review if you wanna. Until next time My Lovelies! MWAH! *Kissy noises*


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

* * *

"Let me woo you properly," Rufus said. Immediately, Tifa was put on guard, her thoughts immediately going to President Shinra who led the company on their crusade against the Planet. Bringing up that very same issue, she was surprised when a scowl appeared on Rufus' face. "Truthfully, I can't wait for my old man to die. He wants to control the world through bribes and sweet-talking, and I'm not able to support that. I want to take him down." Taking her hands in his, Rufus locked eyes with her. "That's why, if you do take my offer of letting me woo you all over again, we would have to relocate to Junon. I wish to be truthful from the start: I'm not supposed to be in Midgar right now. My father exiled me to Junon for trying to overthrow him and his tyrannical exploits. Would you be willing to come with me?" Rufus asked, searching her face. For what, she didn't know. "Let me show you what it could be like, being my wife." There was only a moment's pause after that between them, but to Tifa, the silence stretched on for forever. Then, the brunette shyly nodded her head.

"Alright," she agreed, and was startled at how fast her heart beat pounded when Rufus' whole face lit up at her answer. The blond hesitated, taking a step forward as if to kiss her, but instead lifted her hands up to kiss her knuckles. Lifting his head, his blue eyes locked onto her own burgundy ones and Tifa flushed a little.

She couldn't ever remember a man looking at her like that.

Their moment was broken as Kiani spoke on the phone next to them, ordering a helicopter to take the newly reacquainted couple to Junon. Separating, both were clearly embarrassed, each flushing at how close the two of them had been a few seconds ago. While Tifa was trying to get her traitorous heart back under control, Rufus turned to Kiani as she hung up the phone.

"It will be here in about 10 minutes. President Shinra will have left his office already, so the two of you are free to go up there to use the helipad. Astasia shall escort you through security with her keycard," Kiani reported before she raised an eyebrow. "The press has already been denied coverage of this even, but we can release a press statement to the outcome, if that is to your liking. Is there anything else I can do for you, Mr. Vice?" Rufus shook his head and smiled.

"No, Kiani, that is all, thank you," the blond said. He then wrapped his arm around Tifa, his hand on the small of her back, but never hinting at going lower. He merely used his hand to guide her towards the elevators on the second floor, Astasia leading the way. "Is there anything you need to retrieve before we leave? Any possessions or clothing or pets you would want to bring?" Tifa's face fell at the reminder of her loss, and Rufus seemed to pick up on that fact immediately. Stopping their progress, he turned and took Tifa's hands in his once more. "What's wrong?"

Tifa shook her head and attempted a smile. "No, it's nothing. I just lost my home and everything in it when the Sector 7 plate fell. AVALANCHE was. . ." Rufus frowned and brought her hands up to kiss the back of her knuckles once more, an action she was beginning to enjoy. "We can head out right away." Her mind flashed to Barret and his involvement with the plate before switching to Cloud and the pretty brunette she had seen him with. Shaking her head to clear her mind of these thoughts, Tifa slipped her hand into Rufus' to lead him to where Astasia was waiting at the elevators. "Come on. I've never been in a helicopter before." With a smile more genuine than the one before, the two headed out to the helipad.

* * *

Cloud's head was fuzzy. They haven't been feeding them well in the jail cells, and that was okay, because he was used to going without food or water for several days. His training in Soldier had prepped him for this. What he hadn't been prepared for was being strapped down to a table and injected with what he knew was Mako. The burn was the same feeling as when he was younger, and he writhed now just as much as he did back then. He would then be dumped back into his cell unceremoniously, before hearing Aerith being dragged out of her cell. She screamed, but Cloud was so drugged up, he couldn't do a thing. She would always come back in the same state he was, silent, and occasionally weeping. Red, he was the same. He would snap and growl at the guards when they pulled him from his cell, but always came back docile, mostly unconscious.

Barret never made a sound.

After the first hour of him cursing, the guards were ordered to gag him, and Barret had been silent ever since. With his thoughts so disorganized from the stuff they injected him with, Cloud couldn't think of a way to get them out of there. In his rare moments of lucidity in the past three days they have been in these Shinra holding cells, all Cloud could think of was Tifa, and if she was alright. She was strong. She could handle anything thrown at her.

* * *

Taking a helicopter over the ocean at sunset was the prettiest thing Tifa had ever seen. It was hard to decide, however, because soon after night fell, and the brunette was able to see a vast sky of stars for the first time in 6 years. She marveled at the simple beauty of it, and was only reminded of Rufus' presence when he took her hand and just held it. She looked at him to share smiles before the both of them looked out at the sky together.

They arrived at Junon not long after darkness fell, and Rufus helped Tifa out of the helicopter like a gentleman. The action took her by surprise, but inwardly she secretly enjoyed it. It was. . .hard to accept it, but the barmaid-or should she now be referred to as Mrs. Shinra-loved not having to put up a brave face and be strong for those around her. It was nice to be treated like a woman.

And dare she say it, but she was already seeing why drunk her would marry Rufus. He was charming, and everything so far pointed to him trying to genuinely woo her. What was he to gain from anything? They were already married, and already had sex. _And_ he's been sending her gifts every other week! What was his motive? Did he actually. . .actually love her?

What about Cloud?

Shaking her head to rid her of thoughts of the other male blond in her life, she focused on the one blond who was with her here and now.

They had arrived at Junon to a massive celebration welcoming Rufus and his wife home. They had gotten word that he was bringing Tifa back with him, and set up something small. There were no parades or anything grand like that, for there wasn't enough time, but there was definitely enough people at the helipad as the welcome party to make Tifa feel special. Her husband-it was so weird to refer to him as that!-held her hand as he led her through the Shinra building in Junon, but this one had a more friendly feel to it. Something about the lack of an oppressive presence in the building seemed to help. Junon had been established a few decades before Midgar had even been thought of, Rufus explained, which was why the city of Junon was so progressed.

"How long have you been here?" she had asked him as he led her to their living quarters in a separate building. It was the top suite of an apartment complex, but everyone who lived there was a Shinra employee, and loyal to the max.

"A month shy of our wedding anniversary," he explained, before launching into the story of his failed coup and his subsequent exile from his second home.

"Second home?" Tifa then asked as she kicked her shoes off and put them by the door where Rufus put his.

"I was born and raised in Nibelheim."

Tifa nearly fainted.

* * *

A/N: The pace of the story picks up after this. Soon we'll be seeing the slightly altered journey the group takes due to Tifa being gone, however there are some events that are just set in stone. I hope you all enjoyed! Follow if you liked it, fave if you loved it, and don't forget to review if you'd like.

Until next time my Lovelies!

MWAH!


End file.
